Customer Reviews

Dodge Durango 2004-06 & Dakota Pick-UPs 2005-06 (Chilton's Total Car Care Repair Manuals)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

On the whole, this book is barely adequate. Much of the maintenance information is completely generic. That is to say it appears they did not use a Dodge Durango to research the instructions.

An example: the directions for draining differential lubricant tells us "If there's no bolt-on cover, look for a drain plug..."; the next sentence says "If there's not a drain plug and no cover...". This makes me believe no one even looked under the vehicle to see what is there. The general rule for filling differential housings with lubricant is to fill to the bottom of the fill hole, which is what both Chilton and Haynes (see below) manuals instruct. The 2006 Durango owner's manual states: "Rear Axle fluid levels should be 7/8 (22 mm) below the fill hole for 8 1/4 axles, and 1 1/4 (31 mm) below the fill hole for 9 1/4 axles" and "Front Axle fluid level should be 3/4" (20 mm) below the bottom of the fill hole." So now I know the authors did not thoroughly read even the basic documentation, which makes me question all their instructions.

NOTE: The information in this book is identical to that in the Haynes, paragraph-for-paragraph, photo-for-photo, word-for-word. There was a time when these two companies competed against one-another and I could combine instructions to accomplish more complicated repairs. Chilton is now published by Haynes. (How unfortunate that they made the decision to use the Chilton format for both publications.)

I decided to keep the Haynes ($5.00 cheaper the day I purchased them both) for immediate need. I will look for something I can trust for future maintenance and repairs.

The book is decent but the way the descriptions are makes no sense. As a mechanic I just wanted this book for reference but I found out quickly that I didn't have to take apart half my truck as it was described by the book... So if you have experience with working on cars you might get something out of it, if not, Hands OFF!!!

Once again Chilton has come through with complete care information. Though the book is different than the older general subject books it offers a complete how-to guide for working on my car.